I’ve always loved wandering around with my camera, looking for interesting things to photograph. Often, I struggled to find interesting things to shoot. Often, I didn’t have the motivation to put in much effort, which was weird because I love photography. And then one day, I learned something, and everything changed. From that point on, there was no looking back, no lack of motivation, and no difficulty in finding things to photograph.
It happened very early on, while I was at college studying photography. Our tutor gave us an assignment. We had to go out to a chosen location and create a series of photos that told the story of that location. The idea was to pretend the set of images we captured was for a book. And that book also needed a hero shot for the front cover. I chose a church and graveyard.
I had a reason to head out with a camera. A purpose. A project. This made all the difference. It sounds rather simple and obvious, but it was—forgive the hyperbole—a “game-changer.”
It was explained to me that anyone could go out and come back with one fabulous photo—maybe of an interesting moment on the street or a landscape vista bathed in extraordinary light. One great photo doesn’t mean you’re a good photographer; it means you got lucky. But a set of photos, all designed to tell a story in a cohesive manner, does.
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A series of photos allows you to explore a theme or idea in depth, creating a visual narrative that has layers and nuance. You can convey a story far more effectively with a series of images than you can with one photo.
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A project forces you to become more intentional with your photography. In doing so, your visual and storytelling awareness and skills improve.
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A project helps you develop a consistent visual style and unique approach.
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Your photography becomes more meaningful and goes beyond a “nice photo” to something with lasting value.
Since I learned this, I apply it to all my photography, particularly travel and urban documentary photography. If ever I start to wonder what to photograph, and my enthusiasm starts to wane, I create a new project—which is like giving Tiger crystal meth.
If you're serious about your photography and want to create art that is worthy of exhibition, sell your photos to a magazine, or even have a book published eventually, having a curated series of images from a project will get you noticed and help greatly.
Gallery curators and publishers will take you seriously if you can demonstrate you have a distinctive and cohesive body of work that shows thought, intent, and communicates a unique vision.
I recently created a project in a church and graveyard, just as I did 40 years ago, just for old times’ sake. You can watch that video above.
So the big question now is: What project are you going to give yourself this summer? Let me know in the comments—it will be fun to discover what everyone is doing.
This was a great read — especially the part about analyzing your own portfolio critically. As a wedding photographer in India, I often revisit old couple shoots to understand what worked emotionally and visually.
We’ve also started integrating feedback loops in our workflow. After each wedding, we do an internal review of how we could improve the posing flow, light placement, and candid captures. Over time, this has made a big difference!
Sooo many articles on "how to improve your photography".
And the answer is never "beer".
The answer is always beer!
Somewhere in another universe is another planet exactly like ours, except that on that planet, everyone understands that beer improves photography. On that planet, photographers are expected to be drinking beer whenever they're photographing, or people won't respect their work. Professional photographers could even lose their jobs for photographing without beer.
And that's the planet I was supposed to be born on.
Finally! A video worth watching!
He didn't even mention why he chose his camera!
Did you want me to mention why I chose my camera? 🙂
The best photography I ever achieved was when I worked for our local theatre. I had a brief and I knew what pictures were needed.
Now I photograph for pleasure, I too have a habit of creating projects around things that interest me. I try to end a project with a Blurb book. Researching a project helps me understand what I am photographing, which helps a lot.
I don't know how this tracks with your theory, but I'd go out with only one lens. Then walk through my scenic neighborhood and capture what caught my eye. Then, the next trip out would be with a different lens through the same historic neighborhood. Then, another and another. I have a lot of lenses. I'd also change up times of day. It was interesting to notice the different choices I made with different lenses. The toughest lens to shoot with, in a neighborhood full of tight brick pathways, was my Sony 200-600mm. But I found shots. From doves doing mating dances in the trees to faux macro photography of flowers from 10-15 feet away.
This is a vey good idea, and something I also do. It provides purpose and a different way of looking at things, and certainly makes a good project. My next outing is street photography using a 135mm prime. I usually use a 28 or 35mm.
The longer the lens, the more you have to think out of the box.
Yes, so for shooting in a city in particular, that translates to a lot of fun!
It's good to have the mindset that the task is possible. It forces you to see the world in differently. Photos, you might not have thought about before, suddenly appear. Plus, longer lenses add their own unique effects. Happy hunting!